Ministry of Information & Broadcasting
Directors of Non Feature films in IFFI meet the press
Coexistence is the only way forward: S. Nalla Muthu,
on man-animal conflict
Inspirational solutions on sexual harassment at workplaces should
come up: Hari Viswanath
‘Midnight Run’ an attempt to portray the transformation of
fear in a person: Remya Raj
Common link between terrorism and all bad things: Nitish Patankar
In a country where hardly any one invests in environmental films, self-funding is the best option to produce quality films, said Shri S. Nalla Muthu, noted cinematographer and director of ‘The World's Most Famous Tiger’ - showcased in the Non Feature Film section at the 49th International Film Festival of India in Goa. He was addressing a joint press conference, along with directors of other non-feature films ‘Monitor’, ‘Midnight Run’ and ‘Na Bole Wo Haram’.
Speaking about his film ‘The World's Most Famous Tiger’, Shri Nalla Muthu said that it is not meant for conservationists, biologists or people who know about wildlife. It is made for the common audience, and the story has been told from an Indian perspective by characterising and humanising animals. He also pointed out that since India does not have a dedicated channel or channel slot for environmental projects, we have to depend on channels like National Geographic and Discovery, which demands a quality product. ‘The World's Most Famous Tiger’ showcases the determination, bravery and confidence of Machli, the legendary Tiger Queen of Ranthambhore National Park. Replying to a question on human-animal conflict, he said that co-existing is the only option forward.
Shri Hari Viswanath, Director of the Non-Feature film ‘Monitor’ said that his film is intended to motivate women to stand up against sexual harassment at workplace. The entire film is shown from the point of view of a computer monitor. Based on true events, ‘Monitor’ narrates the life of an IT professional Rupa who struggles to balance her career and personal life in abusive work environment. "This is a fictional film based on a true story of a friend of mine having been raped. I made this to inspire other women to face such incidents with courage." He said instead of showing only the problems connected with sexual harassment at workplace, we should come up with some inspirational or motivational solutions.
Ms. Remya Raj, director of ‘Midnight Run’ said her debut film is an attempt to portray the transformation of fear in a person. The film shows the ability of this universal emotion to trigger a complete transformation in people when they are afraid and when they are trying to make someone afraid.
Narrating the story of how a news report on Peshawar school terrorist attack led him to a creative work, Shri Nitish Patankar, director of ‘Na Bole Wo Haram’, said that there is a common link between terrorism and all bad things. “People can use anything, be it caste, religion or God for their own interests. The film has been narrated in a simple way, using religion as a background and two children as symbols of human nature”, he added.
Backgrounder
‘The World's Most Famous Tiger’ is an English wild-life documentary directed by Mr. S Nalla Muthu. Nalla Muthu is a cinematographer and director, known for his documentaries -Tiger Queen , Mutant Planet ,and Tiger's Revenge. He also won the Best Exploration/Adventure Film Life Force award for ‘India's Western Ghats’ in non-feature film category at 62nd National Film Awards in 2015.
Monitor is short film directed by Mr. Hari Viswanath. The movie is about the life of IT professional Rupa who struggles to balance her career & and personal life in bad work environment. Hari Viswanath, film director, producer and screenwriter who was also on the Jury panel of Indian Panorama section of International Film Festival of India 2017, Goa. He also has several national and international awards to his credit.
‘Midnight Run’ directed by Ms. Remya Raj, is a realistic thriller and it is about the fear showing various facets of the emotion. The characters in the movie are a 14 year old boy and a forty year old truck driver. The movie portrays fear’s ability to trigger a complete transformation in people when they are afraid and when they are trying to make someone afraid. Remya Raj is a visual communication graduate and this film is a stepping stone for Remya towards the final goal of making feature films. The film is shot in Kochi only during nights with minimum music and features two-time National Award winning director Dileesh Pothan and State Award winner Chethan Jayalal of Guppy-fame in lead roles. The film will also be screened at Hungary Film Festival this year.
‘Na Bole Wo Haram’is a directorial debut film by Nitish Patankar. It is based on short fiction written by Aditya Bhagat. Patankar has also directed a play called Rooh Hamari.